Indeed, you are right, but what does the "those" refer
to? It says that they (Sodom, Gomorrah & the other
cities) serve as an example of THOSE WHO WILL SUFFER
THE PUNISHMENT OF ETERNAL FIRE. This would make it
seem as if Sodom and Gomorrah are only an example of
fire and did not themselves under the punishment of
eternal fire. In actuality, the Greek says that Sodom
and Gomorrah underwent that very punishment. It has a
lot to do with how people interpret what "eternal
fire" means. And I think the NIV committee shaded
this reference. The KJV, NKJV, RSV, Amplified, and SO
MANY others tranlated it correctly, but the NIV hid
what it really said. I like the NIV most of the time,
but this time it really disappoints me.